The Five Times & The One Time
by Angelwings2222
Summary: The five times Mike tells Scott that he loves him, and the one time Scott said it back. (Rated M for mature language and suggestive situations, nothing stronger than what we saw in the movie though)


1

The first time he says it, they're on their way to visit his brother in Idaho.

Mike's words are wobbly and quiet, it's the first time Scott has seen him so vulnerable and honestly it scares him, Mike scares the living shit out of him and well maybe he always has. Perhaps Scott has known about Mike's feelings before even he knew it himself.

But before he could just ignore it, pretend that he didn't see the way Mike looked at him as if he were the most precious thing that he had ever set his eyes on.

But now, he couldn't just ignore it, he said it. The fucking sentence that Scott dreaded hearing, because now it's real. Now they have to deal with it and any wrong word or touch could send them both ablaze. Because love burned hotter than the dying fire they surrounded themselves with.

And perhaps it would hurt them more than the actual orange flames melting their skin, Scott was almost sure of that fact.

"I love you and you don't pay me.."

2

Its barely dawn and Hans has already left the hotel room, along with Scott's motorcycle, but they have money so now they can go to Italy to find Mike's mother. Scott begins to wonder how he let himself get so far pulled into this little escapade.

Oh yeah..Mike.. he thinks, it's been Mike from the get go, dragging him along into this, but Scott doesn't care, he'd go to the ends of the earth if Mike asked him to.

They're lying in bed, naked under the blankets, back to back and he hears it. Its a whisper but it's clear as day.

"I love you.." Mike must think he's asleep or maybe he's just stating it again in hopes that Scott either doesn't forget or that he'll say it back..

As if he could forget the most important person in his life spilling his heart out to him like that..

Scott doesn't say it back. Its not because he doesn't want to. Its because he physically can't get his mouth to form the words, because he knows that it would only hurt him in the long run if he did.

3

The third time, Mike actually doesn't verbalize it, but his eyes say it all as he blows cigarette smoke towards him and the pretty Italian girl, Carmella. Scott's not even sure what he's doing with her, sure she's beautiful, no denying that and the sex is good but..he doesn't really connect with her beyond that. Which makes him feel like an asshole because she looks at him the same as Mike does.

Only..he actually does connect with Mike.

And..instead of trying to calm the situation between the two of them, Scott realizes he's only raised the temperature and now it's burning and it's starting to hurt.

"You know I love you. You. Know. I. Do."

4

He lies to him for the first time when he tells him he fell in love..well actually he's not lying because he is in love, but Mike assumes he means Carmella because well..he's running away with her.

Actually he's running back home and he's leaving Mike behind.

He gives him money so he can at least find his way back home. Scott tries not to think about what he's doing, tries not to notice how Mike's shoulders shake as he hands him the money, tries to pretend that Carmella is what he wants, what he needs.

Scott convinces himself that he desires his old life back, the parties, and the snobs and his distant father.

But as he walks out, he hears it.

"Scott..Scott I love you.." it's mumbled and its broken..Mike sounds so exhausted, so empty and Scott is partly to blame for it all.

For a moment he wants to take it all back. For a second Scott wants to rush back inside and embrace him, kiss his skin, tell him how sorry he is, lay him down and show him just how much he means to him.

But he doesn't, instead he reminds himself that Carmella is waiting for him by the car.

Scott fell in love, that much was true, but not with Carmella.

5

Scott doesn't hear Mike's voice for a good while, in fact it's not until after his father's and Bob's funeral that he hears him say those words again.

Mike's lying on the side of the road, having undoubtedly passed out due to another one of his attacks, he's shoeless and his body is twitching.

Scott without a second thought, is loading his former friend into his car, as he clicks his seatbelt in he hears Mike began muttering, a mix of nonsense that sounds almost as if he is awake.

"Mikey, it's me.." Scott's voice is gentle, the gentlest it has ever been.

"I'm taking you home, Mikey.."

"Love..you..Scotty," Mike mumbles, his words jumbeling together, sounding damn near inaudible, but Scott had heard him all the same. He always hears him.

"I know Mikey..I know." He whispers as he presses a kiss against his forehead before climbing into the driver seat.

He steals one last glance at the sleeping Mike, he's safe and he looks so ethereal in the sunlight and Scott's chest is tight and he regrets every fucking decision he's made in these past few weeks regarding Mike.

He knows that things aren't going to be fixed like a fairy godmother swishing her wand around, no. This is real life. But he's okay with that, he wants Mike back, he wants this..back.. even with all the blood sweat and tears that are sure to come with it.

Shit, he doesn't even know if Mike wants to be in the same room with him again, he wouldn't blame him if he didn't.

But he drives, he drives them home.

6

It's a year later, Christmas Eve and Mike is no longer huddling next to a fire being preduced from a burn barrel, no he instead is sitting on this fuzzy white rug in front of a stone fireplace, he's warm and Rudolf is playing on the TV, he's never seen this show before, he thinks the characters are rather harsh for a kids movie, but he digresses.

He still has his sleep attacks, but they're less frequent now thanks to this new medication that his doctor put him on.

Life is actually pretty great, especially considering..

"Hey Mikey, want some eggnog?" Mike makes a face and gives a light chuckle, never tearing his eyes from the TV.

"Hell no, that shit's disgusting."

"Picky picky."

He lives with Scott now, and he has since he was picked up off the side of that winding, never ending road in Idaho.

Things haven't always been peachy though, infact it was rather bumpy for the both of them, but they're okay now, not always, but mostly.

Scott walks in a few minutes later with some sodas instead of the eggnog he previously suggested, because fuck traditions. They sit together on the rug, sometimes occasionally talking, other times they're just silent. Its comfortable though, never awkward.

Mike catches Scott looking at him, not exactly staring, just gazing..a strange little smile on his face.

"What?" He asks when finally facing him.

"Nothing." Scott just continues with his smirk.

"I just love you, is all." It's simply said, like it's a fact they both know, like he's said it a million times before and yet, this is the first time Mike has heard such words from Scott Favor.

"What..?" Mike's heart is breaking and yet putting itself back together in all the same breath.

Scott sits his glass down on the coffee table behind him, next to Mike's and moves closer to him, they're only inches apart.

"I said, I love you, Mikey. I know that I don't deserve to say that to you after all this time. But i do, I love you, I always have."

Mike wants to cry, but he doesn't, they can talk and analyze all of this later, they can scream and yell and discuss the thousand ways this could go wrong, but Mike is so damn tired of talking and Scott is too.

There are a million ways that they could crash and burn, but there are also a million ways that they could keep themselves in the air.

So that's why Mike kisses him and Scott kisses him back.

It took them a long time, and so much heartache to get here, but they were here, better late than never they figured.

Author's Note: I had to write something for this movie, so here have a little alternate ending that I think good majority of us wanted to see. Or maybe I just wanted the boys to have a happy ending together lol. But anyways, I hope you enjoyed.


End file.
